What I’ve Learned

You know those mornings?

You know, those mornings, when you’re up at 5am writing a blog post, when you’d really rather be curled in your deliciously warm and cozy bed, but someone *ahem* is making that quite impossible?
It’s true. My adorable and sweet little baby girl, has decided that 5 am is now an appropriate time to wake up and express her concern about, well, I’m not sure what, at 5 in the morning.

Aahh, now I hear more understanding. Yep, one of those mornings.

Now, I have to admit, I will not be signing up to write a parenting book any time soon. I figure what I lack in finesse and good parenting, I make up for in love. It’s true, I love her a lot. Like, to itty bitty pieces.

I have  a confession. When I was working full time before having her, I thought being a stay-at-home mom-of-one looked like the easiest job in the world. It’s true. I could barely wait to stay home, eat bonbons while painting my toe nails, lunch with ladies, you know, all those easy fun things that come when you have so much extra time from staying at home?

Well. As things go, there is not as much bonbon eating as I had hoped for. In fact, this is the hardest job I have ever done, and I thought I’d done some pretty hard jobs. The hardest, the muckiest, the longest hours, and at times the very most frustrating. Funny thing being, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Even when I am at my very wits end, I still am thankful that this is where God placed me, and an hour of crying is so easily erased by one little grin. Yes, I’m a sucker.

The real kicker to me, is the number of people that get to do this job. You go into the hospital, and come out with a baby. Seriously? No questionnaire? No forms? I need more authorization to take out a library book. Well, here goes nothing, but at the same time, the biggest thing I’ll ever be put in charge of? Gulp. But amazingly enough, my little girl is still alive, and so am I, and she, surprisingly enough loves me, despite the countless times I have confessed to her that I don’t know what I’m doing. So what has this all taught me; what has she taught me?

1. You don’t need teeth to be adorable.

It’s true, I have never been so in love with a toothless smile. Now, with that said, all those with false teeth, please do not take this as an invitation to walk around baring gum, I am not sure this applies to everyone. Report back to me.

2. Having a supportive audience will make you do crazy things.

I am fully certain that if anyone were to watch me through my windows (seriously, way-creepy, please don’t do that), they would think I was completely off my rocker. Which I’m not. Really. Eeeeehehheheheeheeheeheeheeee. (I’m not sure how to type crazed laughter, so that was my best attempt :)). Little b is the best (and most demanding) audience I’ve ever worked for. She requires a full-time, one-woman show, so my workouts now consist of doing the chicken dance, singing in every type of voice (you should hear my Maroon 5, it is spot on, and I think I really may have mooo-oo-oo-oo-ooves like Jagger), and basically doing whatever it takes to make that one little face smile. (thank goodness for happy babies and my own hil-hairious nature).

3. Stop sweating the small stuff.

Cliche, I know, but it’s true. It doesn’t matter what you wear, if your pants are on backwards, if you only had time to put mascara on one eye, and completely forgot about the other, or if all you’ve done all morning is play airplane. (In fact, I think the last one makes you even more loveable). Real people will love you just because you got up in the morning and you loved them right back. Amazing.

4. You are more lovable when you smell good, and you are cutest when fresh out of a bath.

Please take this to heart. Even the sweetest face can be tainted by a bad odor, so, while people will love you for who you are, forgetting this very important piece of information, may mean they need to love you from afar :).

5. Exersauce is important, and can be fun too.

With the right attitude, exersaucing can be one of the most fun parts of your days. I am considering getting some shiny things on my treadmill. Hmmm.

6. When all else fails, wear a hat.

Wear it like you meant to, not like you’re covering up a deep dark secret for the CIA, or like you’re trying to cast a little shade on those dark circles just to make them blend a little. You look fabulous.

And most importantly? Little b is a constant reminder to us, that God is in everything, and every day, so I am right, B and I can’t do this on our own. But we’ll never have to. Phewf! Hope you all have a beautiful day, inside and out :).